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The article deals with the comparative characteristics of the changes in immunological indices in 40 patients with non-specific purulent diseases of the lungs and pleura when plasmapheresis and hemosorption were included in the complex of therapeutic measures. The changes were found to be hetero-directional in character: a non-specific effect of immunostimulation in hemosorption, and immunodepression, particularly marked in the first 24 hours, in plasmapheresis. The post-aggressive reaction after plasmapheresis is either absent or delayed significantly, which makes it possible to conduct detoxification in extremely grave conditions of the patients without making the mechanisms of the post-aggressive reaction operative, as observed in performance of hemosorption.

Numerous methodologies had been suggested to prevent postoperative pyothorax, but the tendency towards reduction in the incidence of this condition couldn't be seen. Forty patients with different lung diseases (malignant tumours, abscesses, bronchiectases) were examined. Twenty patients received low-dose levamisole and dibazole pre- and postoperatively, while to the remaining 20 patients these immunomodulators were not administered. All the 40 patients underwent radical operations. Immunoassay was undertaken in both groups in the preoperative period and at days 7, 14, and 21 postoperatively. As a result it was found that the group of patients devoid of immunoprophylaxis showed development of pyothorax in 5 percent of the cases. The groups of patients exposed to preventive measures including low doses of levamisole and dibazole did not show septic complications in the pleural cavity.

The cytologic and immunologic analysis of bronchoalveolar washing offs and of peripheral blood was made in 45 patients with chronic bronchitis. Of these, 27 patients suffered from catarrhal bronchitis without infection signs and 18 were affected with purulent bronchitis with superinfection. It has been shown that discovery of a considerable number of neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar washing offs promotes the establishment of the infectious etiology of chronic bronchitis. The immunologic analysis of the washing offs was found to be of great informative value in the study of the mechanism of the disease development. Pronounced dysfunction of the immune system and its manifestations common to catarrhal and purulent bronchitis were demonstrated. It is concluded that dystrophic processes predominate in the lungs of the patients with chronic purulent bronchitis whereas catarrhal bronchitis is marked by the high local immune reactivity in the lungs. The characteristic features revealed are regarded as criteria of the differential diagnosis between the given bronchitis patterns. It has been disclosed that impairment of the mechanisms of cellular immunity is one of the properties shared by both the disease patterns. The authors discuss the prospects of the use of the combined immunologic analysis of the bronchoalveolar washing offs and peripheral blood in patients with chronic bronchitis.

Immunological findings were recorded in 22 patients with active sarcoidosis and 12 patients with idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis. In addition, the patients' endopulmonary cytograms were considered. Immunological evidence involved the use of bronchoalveolar lavage, bronchoscopy, peripheral blood. Administration of corticosteroid therapy resulted in alveolitis attenuation both in sarcoidosis and fibrosing alveolitis. Common features of immune response of sarcoidosis and idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis patients to glucocorticosteroids whose action proceeds as multicomponent immunomodulating effect implying reconstruction of some links of the immune system while aggravating dysfunction of the others are stated.